Water Safety

School's out. Swell's in. Surf's up. To celebrate the continuation of summer — or the onset if we're going by the weather — a few surf schools in Laguna Beach are offering lessons and camps for little (and big) grommets who want to learn some real skills. Laguna Beach Surf School, sponsored by Billabong and directed by Steven "Slydawg" Chew, is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and teaches kids about water safety, physical fitness, surfing etiquette and marine biology, in addition to providing instructional surf lessons.

The Kalos Kagathos Foundation's California student surfing team has been invited to participate in a New Zealand / United States junior surfing cultural exchange. Foundation Chairman Bruce S. Hopping selected the California 2002 Seaview League Champion Laguna Beach High School team. Participating youths are selling raffle tickets, $20 for 100, to pay for airfare and expenses for the trip to Raglan, New Zealand, April 18 to 26. The New Zealand junior team is also planning to come to Laguna Beach.

Evans on hand at swim event Laguna Beach resident Janet Evans, a four-time Olympic gold medal winner, was in attendance Sunday in Corona del Mar to lend her support to the Swim For Life Foundation?s water safety awareness-raising ocean swim. She congratulated the 250 swimmers, including fellow Olympians and other local residents of all ages who are passionate about water safety, as they completed the one-mile, non-competitive swim. The ocean swim was an effort to promote Swim For Life?

Four hundred Southern California spectators flocked to Corona del Mar’s main beach on Sunday, September 20, as approximately 250 swimmers between the ages of 6 and 75, residing as far away as Brixham, England; Phoenix, AZ; Bakersfield, San Luis Obispo, and San Marcos, CA, took to the waves during the Swim for Life Foundation’s annual ocean swim to raise awareness of water safety measures. Three-time Olympian Janet Evans of Laguna Beach was among the first to congratulate each swimmer as they exited the waves.

Spring break surf camp for kids Laguna Beach Surf School will hold a Spring Break 2010 Surf Camp from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday for kids 7 and older. Groms will meet at Laguna Surf & Sport, 1088 S. Coast Hwy., and will be taken for instruction between Thalia and Anita streets. Orientation will be Monday, when instructors go over water safety and ocean awareness. The following days will be divided into a morning and afternoon surf lessons, with a lunch break.

Lolita Harper State lifeguards are shifting more safety duties to beach patrons, imploring them to please beware of the fact that public safety resources are extremely limited for the third consecutive year because of dire financial straits. Mike Tope, the Orange Coast district superintendent for the California State Parks, said he is feeling the crunch all along his stretch of the beach, from Bolsa Chica to San Onofre. He said it is essential for parents, as well as other patrons of the coastal playground, to understand that there are fewer eyes looking out for them.

School’s out for the summer, but class on the sea is in session. “There’s no better way to spend a summer in Laguna Beach than learning how to surf with friends,” said Steve Chew, director of Laguna Beach Surf School. A local and no stranger to the competitive world of surfing, Chew has been teaching kids how to surf since he was 15. “When I was in high school, my friend’s dad had an Ocean Adventure Program and they asked me to teach surfing, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Chew said.

An ancient Hawaiian form of surfing is getting a fresh makeover from a new generation of surfers, and a business that says it plans to take the sport to the next level and beyond. The Stand Up Paddle Co., now open at 1099 S. Coast Hwy., aims to inspire a movement toward living a more balanced and healthy lifestyle through the art of stand-up paddle-boarding. Co-founded by local surfer Tommy Donnelly and personal trainer Noelle Kozak, the company offers daily lessons to “anyone, anywhere, any time” and also combines the sport with circuit training and yoga through its SUP Fitness Program classes.

Woman allegedly admits to shoplifting clothing A 36-year-old Chula Vista woman who stole more than $700 worth of merchandise from a Laguna Beach clothing boutique agreed to repay the store for its losses, police said. Employees of the Little Bohemian, located at the corner of Beach Street and Ocean Avenue, reported noticing empty coat hangers while the woman was shopping in the store June 4, police said. The woman was carrying a medium-sized purse and was wearing a coat, something employees thought was odd for the weather, police said.

Mountain Road home redesign not historic City Council should have followed Wayne Baglin's lead to send [the Mountain Road home issue] back to the Heritage Committee for denial of Heritage Status. The new design does not look at all like the original home. Heritage is supposed to be preservation -- this won't even be replication. The front facade of the home had already been destroyed by a previous nonpermitted remodel by the current owners in 2002.

School's out. Swell's in. Surf's up. To celebrate the continuation of summer — or the onset if we're going by the weather — a few surf schools in Laguna Beach are offering lessons and camps for little (and big) grommets who want to learn some real skills. Laguna Beach Surf School, sponsored by Billabong and directed by Steven "Slydawg" Chew, is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and teaches kids about water safety, physical fitness, surfing etiquette and marine biology, in addition to providing instructional surf lessons.

Evans on hand at swim event Laguna Beach resident Janet Evans, a four-time Olympic gold medal winner, was in attendance Sunday in Corona del Mar to lend her support to the Swim For Life Foundation?s water safety awareness-raising ocean swim. She congratulated the 250 swimmers, including fellow Olympians and other local residents of all ages who are passionate about water safety, as they completed the one-mile, non-competitive swim. The ocean swim was an effort to promote Swim For Life?

Four hundred Southern California spectators flocked to Corona del Mar’s main beach on Sunday, September 20, as approximately 250 swimmers between the ages of 6 and 75, residing as far away as Brixham, England; Phoenix, AZ; Bakersfield, San Luis Obispo, and San Marcos, CA, took to the waves during the Swim for Life Foundation’s annual ocean swim to raise awareness of water safety measures. Three-time Olympian Janet Evans of Laguna Beach was among the first to congratulate each swimmer as they exited the waves.

The Kalos Kagathos Foundation's California student surfing team has been invited to participate in a New Zealand / United States junior surfing cultural exchange. Foundation Chairman Bruce S. Hopping selected the California 2002 Seaview League Champion Laguna Beach High School team. Participating youths are selling raffle tickets, $20 for 100, to pay for airfare and expenses for the trip to Raglan, New Zealand, April 18 to 26. The New Zealand junior team is also planning to come to Laguna Beach.